Vorai
The Vorai (singular: Vorat) are a major species in the Milky Way Galaxy, native to the Norma Arm, and the major inhabitants and ruler of the Commonwealth of the Vorai. They are made of a sort of green, gelatinous slime, have big, black eyes, and reproduce asexually. Biology The Vorai are made a green, gelatinous slime that can shift and mold into various shapes. Most often, however, do they take a bipedal shape (the result of the Voraian Soldiers' form in the Drato-Voraian War). Their consciouness is thought to be a result of static charges pulsating throughout their body, static charge that is only mildly interrupted by something like a stab wound or a gunshot. As such, the Vorai are rendered nearly unkillable, their only weaknesses being fire (disrupting the very stability of the slime itself) and electricity (overstimulating the static pulses). Furthermore, this also makes them have extremely long lifespans, living anywhere from 100-500 years, sometimes more, The Vorai reproduce asexually, and lack a concept of gender or relationships. Their reproductive process is sparked from the ages 31-41, when the Vorai are still relatively youthful. It should be noted that after the first reproductive cycle, a second can be stimulated via careful electrical currents. The reproductive process is noted by a gradual gain in mass of the Vorat over time, until their body is nearly twice its original size. When they are ready, a new body will begin to take shape and eventually grow off of the extra mass accumulated by the parent Vorat. When it is sufficient in size, it will detach. A Vorat's eyes are large, black organs, and the only non-gelatinous part of its body. A Vorat's eyesight is totally dependant upon these organs, a weakness exploited by the Drata during the numberous conflicts between the two races. The eyes are an anomoly, the only non-gelatinous part of a Vorat's body. Dissections of a Voraian eye have shown that it is similar in structure to a human eye, albeit more complex, and evolved to fit the Vorai's biology. The Vorai consume nutrients by absorbing and dissolving nutrient-rich matter in their bodies. The process of digesting food is one that requires most Vorai to sleep for, and most get tired simply upon eating. During their slumber, the Vorai's body will attack the food, stripping it of its nutrients and absorbing them into the Vorat's body as energy. They subconciously excrete non-edible items. History See also: Commonwealth of the Vorai Early History The Vorai are thought to have first evolved roughly 4-5 thousand years before humans, on the planet of V'ratska, in the Norma Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. Their early beginnings saw them as viscous hunters working to survive. From an early point, they grasped the basic concept of evolution - that certain animals were born with benefits that helped them survive. They used this to their advantage, killing prey that they deemed powerful enough to challenge them and preventing their offspring from existing. Eventually, some Vorai began applying the concept of evolution to plant life, which was less common than animals at the time. By cultivating plants that were easier to farm and consume, they would prosper more, and spread. As such, settlements began to appear around the time of 15,000 BCE on Earth (Old Year 1 on the Voraian Calendar). These settlements grew in size to encompass large areas, often along riverbanks and coasts. For thousands of years, these self-perpetuated states remained isolated as the leadership focues only on inner prosperity. This isolationism was the main idea of the Vorai all the way up until the formation of the Commonwealth. Societal Expansion The isolationism of the Voraian States would not last forever, as eventually the amount of states formed was too many for the continents to hold. Borders had to be drawn, or war would break out. In 672 BCE (Old Year 14-382 on the Voraian Calendar), societal leaders met in Auz to discuss the future of the people. They got their best cartographer, and drew up borders for the new kingsoms, and a new era began. After Old Year 14-382 ended, Middle Year 1 began. The states, now confident in their borders, looked outward for their neighbors. The leader of the nation of Kqir, Wqiza M'ska, was intent on unification of the Voraian people. He set out on the diplomatic and militaristic unification of the Voraian people, and with them, the planet V'ratska. His campaigns would last 400 years, and in Middle Year 411 (262 BCE on Earth), he united the Voraian people under a state he called the Commonwealth of the Vorai. Expansion The Commonwealth went 600 years under Wqiza's successor, Rka Akkolad, of isolationism and inward focus. However, in Middle Year 1033 (862 CE on Earth), Rka died, and his successor was nominated Hkqi Vkirr. Hkqi wanted to see the Voraian people expand from their planet and into the stars. He spent 216 years from Middle Year 1033-1249 (262-1078 CE on Earth) developing Voraian technology to the point that they could cross into the stars. Finally, in Middle Year 1249, he expanded into space, colonizing V'ratska's moon of D'rkq. This year is considered the end of the Middle Year system and the beginning of the New Year system. Hkqi became a celebrated figure among the Vorai for his success in colonization, and he gained massive public support as he spread the Commonwealth across the North Quadrant of the galaxy. It helped that the Vorai's body structure made them able to sustain themselves in almost any environment, making space suits redundant. Things would continue on for another 449 years until Hkqi's death in New Year 450 (1699 CE on Earth). He chose Dvaqi Xcex to be his successor. Contact with the Makavites (New Year 475) The Vorai Commonwealth's population had largely been focused in their homeland of the Norma Arm, and they had been focusing on expanding to the west. However, to the south, they encountered an unfamiliar species. A small squadron of explorers had discovered a planet that, from above, seemed to sustain life. High Command was given alert of this, and Chancellor Dvaqi himself gave the go-ahead to make contact. The squadron landed upon the planet, and were greeted with an odd species, something unlike the Vorai had ever seen. This species had turned out to be the Makavites. The language barrier made communication with the Makavites extrordinarily difficult, however through hours of negotiating terms of non-aggression were agreed upon. Upon the discovery of a new species, Chancellor Dvaqi had the top minds in the country visit the Makavites in an attempt to decode their language. Months upon months of effort allowed the Vorai and the Makavites to at last decode one another's language, and when they did, the Makavites revealed the existence of another race: the Drata. Rather than tell of good fortune, however, the Makavites warned of the Drata as a dangerous and violent race that ransacked the ancient Makavite Union and turned it into a puppet state, the Makavite State. With this knowledge, Chancellor Dvaqi warned his comrades to be cautious upon encountering the Drata. At last, the contact came in New Year 477, when Voraian activity in the Makavite State had come to the attention of Emperor Kalai III. Kalai demanded an army be sent to the State to meet with these Vorai, and that they did. The ensuing attack on Voraian explorers resulted in no Voraian casualties, but rather all members of the squadron were shaken. The Dratan squadron flew the flag of the Dratan Empire over the site of the battle, and proclaimed that effective immediately, the Dratan Empire and the Commonwealth of the Vorai were at war. Drato-Voraian War (New Year 477-485) The Drato-Voraian War began with the Drata making a push into the terrified Vorai's territory, occupying two or three solar systems before launching an all-out push. This would end in total disaster for the Drata. They used traditional weapons: spears, shields, swords, etc. This had worked against the other nations the Dratan Empire had conquered, as they had no defense against the impenetrable Drata. The Vorai, however, were different. Their gelatinous body made them immune to attacks from such weapons, and they were able to wear down and surround the Drata, exposing their weaknesses and eliminating them. After the disastrous 477 Push, the Vorai gained more confidence, and reoccupied their solar systems before pushing into Dratan territory. The push south was met with cheers form the local Makavites, and the local government of the Makavite State was overrun by patriotic Makavites. The newly-proclaimed Free Makavites joined the Vorai in their war on the Drata. Emperor Kalai III of the Drata was not ready to surrender, and demanded more troops be sent out. These ultimately failed, however, as the Vorai continued to exploit the Drata's fault. Eventually, the Vorai gained the support of the newly-discovered Bessi after the Atlasite Coup. A three-way push towards the Dratan homeland was executed by the Three Races, ending in total failure for the Dratans. As the Vorai and Bessi drew closer to the capital planet of Chaski, Kalai III was pressured by his staff and people to cut his losses, and do the unthinkable - surrender. He ultimately relented, surrendering in shame in New Year 485 (1729 CE on Earth). Post-War After the Drato-Voraian War came to a close, the Vorai saw a boost in national pride and unity. Furthermore, they even picked up new allies, those being the Bessite Alliance and the Free Makavites. Collectively, the trio of Vorai, Bessi, and Makavites were known as the Three Races. Vorai-Skovak War (New Year 638-640) Chancellor Roku D'ng had succeeded the massively popular Dvaqi, and intitiated a policy of westward expansion. The Vorai would slowly wrap around the center of the Galaxy, though never actually going to the Core itself out of principle. They colonized each solar system they came across with relative ease, however eventually they came across an unfamilar race: the Skovak. The Vorai, though weary of new races, attempted to make peaceful contact with the Skovak. However, they were met with fierce resistence. The Skovak were a loosely-confederated race of bandits, collectively known as the Skovak Horde. The leader of the largest clan in the horde, Gansavax Ili, rallied the other clans in a preparation for war against the Vorai, claiming their weak bodies were no match for the strong and ruthless Skovak. They launched an all-out - albeit uncoordinated - assault on the Vorai's far western possessions, making huge gains in several provinces. Word of the war finally reached Chancellor Roku, who sent several squadrons of fighters to the far west. He also successfully negotiated the aid of the Bessi, who were in a relatively close proximity to the Skovak. The Skovak's push was halted as soon as the Voraian troops arrived int he far west, and military commander Poro K'qzar led a massive push against the Skovak, retaking Voraian territory and even advancing into the horde itself. In spite of this, Gansavax didn't lost his nerve. He commanded a coordinated push, but many of the other clans did not listen and instead laid down their weapons. The Vorai were an enemy never before seen by the Skovak raiders, and they were not prepared for an all-out war. Without a declaration of surrender, the Vorai continued to push on into Skovak territory, capturing solar system after solar system as Gansavax continued to demand more men. Eventually it became clear that the Skovak had lost the war, and the Vorai sent an ultimatum: the Skovak could either surrender, or have their entire horde overrun. With this it at last became clear to Gansavax that the war was unwinnable, but not wanting to surrender, instead committed suicide. His successor, Gansavax Uro, concdeded the Skovak defeat and surrendered to the Vorai. In the end, the Vorai took a limited amount of territory, but the scar left on the proud Skovak was far deeper than any amount of solar systems. End of the Far West Following the great victory in the war on the Skovak, the Vorai had more presence in the west than ever. This uncharted space was a new frontier for explorers and settlers, who claimed new planets for the Commonwealth and set up colonies. Growth in the west was slow in comparison to the booming east, but regardless the Vorai gained great new trade routes that caused a boom in their economy. This thriving civilization was met, however, with a diplomatic mission from an unknown race. The Vorai had become increasingly xenophobic ever since the Dratan and Skovak wars, and resented many outside races (save for the Bessi and Makavites). Thus, they were cautius when these new people - known as the Clavians - initiated first contact. Chancellor Roku hesitantly accepted the offer of peace, and in return the Clavians offered knowlege of their culture, a map of their nation, and information regarding another nearby species - the Rorites. Over time, it became apparent that the Clavians were a peaceful people who avoided war, and the Vorai become comfortable with their presence. The Rorites, on the other hand, were very isolationist, and refused to open up to the Vorai or even the Clavians, who it seemed they had contact with much earlier. Deciding not to worry about these peacemakers and isolationists, the Commonwealth continued to wrap around to the south. However, it was here that the Far West met its end. The Vorai encountered the Rorites' nation, Rorium, and the Untrasax Dynasty, a Skovak splinter faction that formed its own kingdom. Having met these blocking points, the Vorai were unable to exand any further south. The end of the Far West signaled an end to the expansion the Commonwealth had been making for hundreds of years. Humans, Sulond, and Perseus After the western expansion came to and end, the Makavites had alerted the Vorai of an undiscovered nation to the south. They were bipedal and spoke a variety of different languages, but it seemed they were peaceful. Hesitantly, the Vorai intiated first contact with these people. As it turned out, they were called Humans. These people interested the Vorai; rather than having one united nation, they had hundreds of separate nations claim their own planets in the name of the "United Nations," or known in space as the International Conglomerate. The Vorai greeted the Humans, to which the Humans responded in kind. The two sides agreed to peace between them, as well as an exchange of information. Indeed, the two peoples were effectively on opposites sides of the galaxy, so learnign of what was in each other's hemisphere would be a vital exchange. The Vorai informed the Humans of the existence of the Bessi, the Rorites, the Clavians, the Drata, and the Skovak. They were interested to find the Humans were already familiar with the Drata and Skovak, having dealt with conflicts involving both. In return, the Humans introduced the Vorai to the Gekrans, the inhabitants of a massive Empire inhabiting the Perseus Arm, known as the Persean Empire. They also introduced them to Sulond, a semi-large state to the south of Clavia and Rorium that a rogue Human squadron had discovered. While not having direct contact with these nations, the knowlege of their existence intrigued the Vorai, and they requested to meet the two. The Humans accepted, and arranged meetings with the Persean Emperor - Galthaab IV - and the Uhnat of Sulond - Zusz Luchvin. Chancellor Roku met with them and successfully established diplomatic relations with them. But with meeting these civilizations, it became clear that there was little else to discover in the galaxy. Hundreds of years of expansion were over, and now was an era of diplomacy. The Great Coalition War Main Article: The Great Coalition War In the years since the Dratan defeat in the Drato-Voraian War, Dratan society had been in disorder. The first surrender in Dratan history, it sent the people into a rage. After another unsuccessful war, this time against the Humans, Dratan society was on the verge of collapse. Eventually, however, a new Emperor, Ova II, came to power. He restablized the Empire and recentralized the military. He lined the borders with the Commonwealth of the Vorai and the Bessi Alliance, and promised to return Dratan glory. He enchanted the Dratan people with his many promises, and he intended to go through with them. In New Year 1074 (2318 CE on Earth), he declared war on the Bessi Alliance and moved in troops to attack its solar systems. The Bessi called upon their ally, the Commonwealth of the Vorai, to fight off the Drata. The new Chancellor, Krkata Myl'qov, was ready defeat the Drata a second time, and immediately moblized in the south and sent troops to aid the Bessi. The Makavites also got involved on the side of the Vorai shortly thereafter. Immediately the Three Races began to push, but the front stagnated and even reversed in some areas as the Drata developed new ways of fighting under the Emperor. Even so, Krkata was determined to hold the lines and prevent the Bessi from capitulating. In 1078, the bold Ova II declared a separate war on the International Conglomerate after launching a series of surprise attacks on several Humansolar systems. The Dratans were now surrounded in all technicality, however they still held the military superiority. The Humans' forces were scattered and disorganized due to the chaotic nature of the disunited International Conglomerate. As such, the Dratans were able to expand into much of the undefended territory. However, this would ultimately be their downfall, as the Humans were able to push around and encircle the Dratan army, forcing them to redirect from the Western front and allowing the Vorai to occupy Western lands until the Drata were forced into a defensive war. From there, the war dragged on until New Year 1090 (2334 CE on Earth). In the peace treaty, the Commonwealth of the Vorai recieved numberous border solar systems, and the Bessite Alliance recieved several systems as well, and the Humans obtained one of the Dratan provinces in the north as a colony. This province would later break off and form the Outer Union. Modern Era The current governor of the Commonwealth of the Vorai is Xeatier Ostafar. He has agreed to comply with the International Conglomerate's decision to sanction the Dratan Empire into compliance, however his personal feelings are that this will only lead to a new rise in authoritarian policy. "The first time something like this was tried," he says, "war broke out only a few years later. What makes them Humans think this will end any differently?" ''The Confusion'' "The Confusion" is the term given to the culture shock within the Voraian society upon the revelation of sexual reproduction and relationships. The concept was first introduced to them by the Bessi in New Year 486. Since then, the Vorai people have found that not only the Bessi, but also the Drata and Humans reproduce sexually and have a concept of relationships. The majority of Vorai reacted neutrally, preferring to acknowlege the concept but uphold the biology of the species. Some, however, have adopted the idea with open arms. There has been a small surgance of Vorai who have taken up romantic and sexual relationships. These so-called "Deviant Ones" are a subject of controversy in the Commonwealth of the Vorai. Some view them as deviants who stray from the very idea of being a Vorat, while other see them as Vorai who've taken interest in the concepts of another culture. The issue has yet to be resolved.